ISLAMABAD: As the Senate Standing Committee on Health continued deliberating `exorbitant tuition fees` of private medical and dental colleges, some legislators, including the committee`s chairman, ministry officials and Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) seemed rallying behind private business owners.

Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services, Regulations and CoordinationChairman Senator Amir Waliuddin Chishti allegedly kept diverting the discussion away from the issue throughout the meeting.

However, some of the senators including Senator Irfanul Haque Siddiqui and Senator Palwasha Khan kept the issue alive, spotlighting the `exorbitant fees` charged by private medical and dental colleges.

Senator Irfanul Haque Siddiqui started the discussion by saying that he was quite worried about the exorbitant fees of the medical colleges.

Addressing the Minister of State for Health Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath, Special Health Secretary Mirza Nasirud Din Mashhood, PMDC President Dr Rizwan Taj and PMDC Registrar Dr Shaista Faisal, senator Siddiqui said that the issue has not been resolved for a long time.

State Minister Dr Bharath said that a committee headed by the Fatima Jinnah Medical University`s vice chancellor has been estab-lished to recommend a reasonable fee for the private medical colleges.

However, Senator Siddiqui said that the PMDC had written a letter to the colleges on January 9 last year, questioning whether the owners of the colleges were summoned to discuss the issue or if they had any valid justification.

He also asked if PMDC was satisfied with the colleges` justification.

PMDC Prescient Dr Rizwan Taj informed the members that the college representatives were summoned and they submitted their replies, however, the PMDC was not satisfied.

Senator Siddiqui asked if PMDC was not satisfied with the justification, then what kind of action was taken? The PMDC president could not respond aptly to the query.

At this point, Senator Palwasha Khan, who also chaired a sub-committee over the issue, intervened and informed the meeting that the PMDC had stopped the collegesfrom receiving the fees for 2024.

Contrarily, she said, the colleges collected fees for 2025 as well.

She called for a direction from the committee that the fees should be refunded to students. However, the committee`s chairman, whose family owns a college, questioned whether the PMDC was empowered enough to take any action against the educational institutions.

During an earlier meeting, the same issue was raised and the committee had offered legislation to empower PMDC. But, Special Secretary Mirza Nasirud Din Mashhood had said that the PMDC was `quite empowered` to deal with the issue.

However, on Tuesday, State Minister Dr Bharath said that there were legal issues with the PMDC Act.

While briefing the committee, PMDC Registrar Dr Shaista Faisal informed that in 2010, the fee of medical colleges stood at around Rs500,000 but it was increased later.Senator Palwasha asked if a report sent to Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar regarding the fixation of fees of medical colleges has been received with comments.

However, State Minister Dr Bharath revealed that the committee headed by the deputy PM had nothing to do with fixing the fees.

When asked by the members regarding the fee suggested in the report sent to the deputy PM, Special Secretary Mirza Nasirud Din Mashhood informed that Rs1.25 million per year was suggested to the forum.

Senator Siddiqui intervened and asked if they were able to draw a comparison that the recommended fee was Rs1.25 million but colleges charged up to Rs3 million annually.

Senator Palwasha again suggested that the fee should be returned to students till the final outcome of the committee proceedings. However, State Minister Dr Bharath said that the issue would beresolved in a fortnight as it was being discussed in every meeting.

Chairman Amir Waliuddin Chishti, who belongs to the Mutahidda Qaumi Movement Pakistan, while talking to Dawn, said that it was incorrect that he owned a medical college.

`I run different businesses and own a company which has 700 petrol pumps across the country. I am the largest taxpayer in the parliament.

The medical college is owned by my family and we have established it to serve the people. We also do Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities from the platform of the medical college and that is why I have asked the colleges to submit a report about their activities under CSR,` he said. When asked as to why he was trying to divert the discussion during the committee`s meeting, he said that he didn`t want to give any inconclusive direction as a `misfire` and provide an opportunity to the colleges to approach courts.